Selector for sorting machines



` Dec. 28, 1937. W Q Sim/ER l 2,103,559

SELECTOR FOR SORTING MACHINES Filed June 20, 1956 INVENTOR,

Patented Dec. 28, 1937 UNITED STATES earner Fries 8 Claims.

. This invention relates to sorting machines for record cards, and theprimary object is to pro Vide in such a machine, a plurality ofanalyzing elements, each of which is controlled by one `of the recordcards as a large number of said cards passinto the machine, tothe endthat disposition of one of the cards being analyzed is determined by therelative natures of the cards which are simultaneously in engagementwith the analyzing elements.

Another important aim of this invention is to provide, in a sortingmachine of the conventional type, a plurality of analyzing elements,electrically interconnected in such manner as `to cause disposition ofone of the record cards according to the structural relationship thereofwith respect to cards which have preceded it into .the machine, one ofwhich co-operates with the said card being acted upon in making orbreaking the electrical circuit having the said analyzing elementstherein.

A yet further object of this inventionkis the provision, in a sortingmachine of the conventional type, having a single analyzing element of aco-operating analyzing element, the action of Which is controlled by arecord card passing into the machine ahead of the Vrecord card that isbeing engaged by the customary analyzing element so that no duplicatecards will remain in a stack of record cards after the same have passedinto the machine. Y i

Minor objects of the invention and the manner of attaching thesupplementary analyzing means will appear during the course of theiollowing specification, referring to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a schematic view, illustrating a part of a sorting machinehaving analyzing elements disposed as contemplated by this invention,and,

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatical View illustrating the electrical circuits anda group of adjacent cards, all of which co-operate with the twoanalyzing elements that are interposed in the circuit.

Sorting machines of the character upon which parts embodying thisinvention might be mounted are known in the art, and so far as I amaware, there has never been means in such sorting machines for removingduplicate cards from a stack of record cards, so that whenthe cards ofthe stack had been run into the machine, one

`of the pockets thereof will contain cards of different natures. Inpractice, duplicate record cards not desired have had to be removed fromthe stackV by hand, and as a result of this shortcoming in the sortingmachine, a vast amount of time is consumed when it becomes necessary toremove fromV the record cards, the duplicates which have been placedtherein as a result of fulfilling some bookkeeping requirement which 5necessitates making up a record card which is a duplicate of one alreadyin the stack.

Record cards l are each provided with a series of lfigure columns, suchas shown in Fig. 2, and which are cf well known type. P-erforations 6 10are provided in the record cards at different locations thereon so thatthe operator, by glancing at the record card, can at once conclude whatnumber is designated by the punchings or perforations therein.Throughout this specication and the claims, reference torelative naturesof cards t must be construed to be the relative positions ofperforations E3, which combine to designate a particular number.

There is but one complete number designated by each card il, and thecards tobe sorted are placed in a magazine 8 and fed from the bottomthereof by a feeding device it, which projects the lowermost card t intothe machine between upper rollers i2 and lower rollers lli. Theserollers are driven in the direction indicated by the arrows 25 in Fig. lat a very rapid rate of speed, and the cards are successively fed intothe machine, and in the nal analysis dropped into the plurality ofcard-receiving pockets i6, each of which is assoelated with one ofV thedistributing passages I3, the receiving ends of which are opened orotherwise' made ready to receive one card 4 after it 4passes through themain analyzing element 2li.

rThis analyzing element essentially comprises means for making andbreaking an electric cir- 35 cuit, and arm 22 carries brush 24 so thatit rides over the periphery of roller 2B. A brush 28 is in irictionalengagement with roller 26 and as one of record cards d passes betweenbrush 24 and roller 26, the presence or absence of a periorao tion twill determine whether or not the circuit is opened or closed and theexact location of perforations e will govern the opening of thereceiving end of one of the distributing pas sages i8. 45

When attaching structure embodying this inr vention to the regularsorting machine now in common use, the receiving pocket i6 closest toanalyzer 2li is not used andpocket normally numbered I2 will be used asa reject pocket.

To fuliill the principal object of the invention, a second analyzingelement 3Q is placed so that its brush 32 will ride over one of therecord cards Il the Sametime that the following record card` is beingengaged by brush 24. Brush 32 is mounted for lateral adjustment inprecisely the same way as brush 24 and the bracket 34 may be carried ona transverse shaft 36 that is attached to the sides 38 of the machine.

A table 40 is also attachedY to sides 38 and insulated therefrom so thatbrush and table 32 and 4U respectively might be interposed in thecircuit with brush and roller 24 and 26 respectively. Thus when a seriesof cards is passing into the machine, two adjoining cards will besimultaneously analyzed and the relative natures of the two cards willdetermine the pocket receiving one of said cards. It will be made clearat a later point, the manner in which a third card preceding the twocards being simultaneously analyzed will enter into the combination ofrejecting duplicates and maintaining only cards of unlike natures in oneof the card receiving pockets.

vMeans for opening or conditioning the receiving ends of distributingpassages I8 is electrically operated, andfor purpose oi exemplication,the electro-magnet 42 is shown as a part of the complete circuit. Theforce exerted when this electro-magnet'42 is energized may betransmitted to the mechanical elements 44 of the machine, which open thereceiving ends of passages I8. The electrical connections involved whenmaking a sorting machine embodying the improvements will consist of awire 46 connecting brush 28 and brush 32, a-wire 48 joining table 40 andelectro-magnet 42, a wire 50 extending from electro-magnet 42 to oneside of a source of electrical supply 52, and a wire 54 joining theother side or line 56 with brush 24.

In the instance exemplied in Fig. 2, the circuit is completed and closedbecause perforations B ofY successive adjoining cards are in the samerelative location on the cards and, therefore, brushes 24 and 32 areallowed to contact roller 26' and table 48 respectively. Obviously,electromagnet 42 will be energized by the closing of the circuit throughwire 54, brush 24, roller 28, brush 28, wire 46, brush 32, wire 48,electro-magnet 42, and wire 50.

One of the distributing passages I8 leading to a card-receiving pocketwhich corresponds to the number 3 which has been punched will,therefore, receive the last card or the one being analyzed by analyzingelement 22. Because of the nature of the third or lead card, the cardbeing analyzed by element 30 will be in the passage I8 leading to pocketI6, which is the reject" pocket and the one that is used to receive allof cards 4 from the magazine which are not duplicates of other cards.The card to the right in Fig. 2 will obviously pass to pocket IB fornumber 6 cards and, after the pack of cards has been run through themachine, it will be known that this card is a duplicate of one thatforms a part of the group of cards in the reject pocket from which allduplicates have been removed.

As an explanation of the immediate foregoing statement with respect tothe middle card (Fig. 2) being within a distributing pasage I8 which isdirecting the card to the reject pocket, a transposition of the threecards one step to the right must be pictured in order to make itapparent that the circuit cannot be closed when the cards are sotransposed or moved back one step and, therefore, the central card ofthe group of three illustrated, will pass into distributing passage I8leading to the reject pocket.

In short, whenever a card passesv beyond main Y pocket other than-theanalyzing element 2B with the circuit open, it is destined for thereject pocketl and, in gaining the advantage of this invention, that isthe pocket where all cards not being duplicates are deposited.Obviously, since the two cards to the left of the three illustrated arebeing simultaneously analyzed, and since perforations 6 of the two cardsare not in like positions thereon, it will be impossible for the twobrushes 24 and 32 to close the circuit and, therefore, the central card,being this time the lead card ahead, will Y follow said lead card to thepocket-receiving cards of different natures, but as soon as cards ofduplicate natures, such as in the case illustrated, are presented forsimultaneous analysis, a duplicate card will at once be detected and it(being the right hand card in Fig. 2) will be rejected or removed fromthe stack as a duplicate and sent to one of the other card-receivingpockets for disposition as the operator desires.

It is conceivable that if a number of cards, duplicate in nature tothose two being analyzed, should follow the last card entering themachine, thatv they too-would be passed toa card-receiving rejectpocket, and there would be left in the reject pocket, only one of thatnature of card.

The first card sent into the machine is always a blank card withoutpunching in the column being analyzed so that brush 32 is insulated fromplate 40 until the second card or first punched card is under brush 32for analysis. Such positioning of a blank card as a first one willobviously permit the next two punched cardsV to locate beneath brushes24 and 32 respectively to (Jo-operate in controlling the circuit in themanner herein set down.

The two analyzing elements are in tandem, or one in alignment with theother, so that the same column of figures on the two cards beinganalyzed are traversed by the brushes.

A large number of advantages arise from the employment 'of suchequipment in sorting machines, and while one embodiment of the inventionhas been exemplified, it is understood that changes and modificationsmight be made without departing from the spirit of the invention orscope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is: Y

l. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successivelycarrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,

and distributing passages leading to the pockets, Y

the combination of electrical means having spaced-apart brushes forsimultaneously, individually analyzing a plurality of the cards, andmeans operated by said analyzing means to open the receiving end of oneof the distributing passages for one of the cards being analyzed, therelative natures of the plurality of cards being analyzed determiningthe pocket receiving one of said cards, said distributing passageshaving their receiving ends between said spaced-apart.`

brushes.

2. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successivelycarrying cardsinto the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,and distributing passages leading to the pockets, the combination ofelectrical analyzing means having brushes for simultaneously,vindividually sweeping correspondingparts cfa pair of cards, and meansoperated by said analyzing means to open the receiving end ofoneofthe.distributing;

.sweeping corresponding parts passages for one of the cards beinganalyzed when the cards of the pair are of a like nature, at least oneof the cards being analyzed being Within one of the distributingpassages.

3. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successivelycarrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,and distributing passages leading to the pockets, the combination ofelectrical analyzing means having brushes for simultaneously,individually of each of a plurality of cards, and means operated by saidanalyzing means to open'the receiving end of one of the distributingpassages for one of the cards being analyzed when the cards are of alike nature, at least one of the plurality of cards being analyzed beingwithin one of the distributing passages, another of said cards beinganalyzed being outside of the plurality of distributing passages, therelative natures of the plurality of cards being analyzed'serving toeffect the analyzing means to determine the passage and pocket receivingthe outside card.

4. In a sorting Vmachine having card feeding devices for successivelycarrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,distributing passages leading to the pockets, means for analyzing eachcard prior to its entry into a passage, electrical means, including acircuit opened and closed by the analyzing means, to cause the card toenter one of the distributing passages, the combination of a secondanalyzing element interposed in` the said circuit to analyze the samepart of the said card after the same has been analyzed by the firstmentioned analyzing means and has passed into one of the passages, saidsecond analyzing element being positioned to act upon parts of the cardwhile corresponding parts of the next succeeding card are being analyzedby the first mentioned analyz ing means.`

5. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successivelycarrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,Y

distributing passages leading to the pockets, means for analyzing eachcard prior to its entry into a passage, electrical means, including acircuit opened and closed by the analyzing means, to cause the card toenter one of the distributing passages, the combination of a secondanalyzing element interposed in the said circuit to analyze the saidcard after the same has been analyzed by the first mentioned analyzingmeans and has` passed into one'of the passages, the rst mentionedanalyzing means acting upon the next succeeding card being fed into themachine as the said irst card is being analyzed by the second analyzingmeans.

6. In a sorting machine having card feeding. devices for successivelycarrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,distributing passages leading to the pockets, means for analyzing eachvcard prior to its entry into a passage, electrical means, including acircuit opened and closed by the analyzing means, to cause the card toenter one of the distributing passages, the combination of a secondanalyzing element interposed in the said circuit to analyze the saidcard after the same has been analyzed by the first mentioned analyzingmeans and has passed into one of the passages, the rst mentionedanalyzing means acting upon the next succeeding card being fed into themachine as the said rst card is being analyzed by the second analyzingmeans, said circuit being closed by both analyzing means, to rendereiective the electrical means for causing one of the cards to enter oneof the distributing passages, when the two cards being analyzed are of alike nature.

7. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successivelycarrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,distributing passages leading to the pockets, means for analyzing eachcard prior to its entry into a passage, electrical means, including acircuit opened and closed by the analyzing means, to cause the card toenter one of the distributing passages, the combination of a secondanalyzing element interposed in the said circuit to analyze the saidcard after the same has been analyzed by the rst mentioned analyzingmeans and has passed into one of the passages, the first mentionedanalyzing means acting upon the next succeeding card beingfed into themachine as the said first card is being analyzed by the second analyzingmeans, said circuit being maintained open by at least one of theanalyzing means, to render ineffective the electrical means for causingthe cards to enter one of the distributing passages, when the two cardsbeing analyzed are of an unlike nature but each individually capable ofcausing one of the said means to close the circuit thereat.

8. In a sorting machine having card feeding devices for successivelycarrying cards into the machine, a plurality of card-receiving pockets,

distributing passages leading to the pockets one of Which is always opento receive the cards, means for analyzing each card prior to its entryinto any passage, electrical means, including a circuit opened andclosed by the analyzing means, to cause the card to enter one of thedistributing passages other than the said one passage, the combinationof a second analyzing element interposed in the said circuit to analyzethe said card after the same has been analyzed by the first mentionedanalyzing means and while the first mentioned analyzing means is actingupon the next'succeeding card, said second analyzing element beingpositioned to act upon parts of a card While corresponding parts of thenext succeeding card are being analyzed by the first mentioned analyzingmeans, either of said analyzing means being capable of opening andclosing said circuit when the other analyzing means is in the circuitclosing position whereby the rst card of a group of cards,` similar inoperating effect upon the two analyzing means, will enter the said oneopen passage and the next succeeding cards of the group will be directedinto one of the other distributing passages. 4

WILLIAM C. SILVER.

